Conservación Ambiente Colombia Foundation — Colombia (2012)

Located on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, Then Conservación Ambiente Colombia Foundation (CACF) began as a conservation initiative run by community leaders in the village of El Lechugal, which previously poached nearly 100 percent of nesting turtles. CACF has collaborated with local government to help change the attitudes of local people by engaging them in sea turtle monitoring, environmental education, and community projects such as recycling.

Using its 2012 SWOT grant, CACF worked to replicate this existing model in the neighboring community of Mulatos, which is visited by nesting hawksbills and leatherbacks. By facilitating these exchanges, CACF hopes to educate other communities in the region and to build local capacity for research and conservation.